Children get to work for Charlie

03 Mar 2016

A group of school children have raised £500 by cleaning up buses at the Stagecoach Depot in Inverness for their friend who has an extremely rare condition.

The school children approached the local bus company in the hope they could raise money to help their friend, Charlie Thomson get some specialised computer equipment. The children spent time learning about the buses before helping to clean a bus up ready to go back out on the road.

Charlie Thomson, 5, was born with a rare condition called Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita (AMC), which means Charlie was born with no muscle around his shoulders, arms, wrists, hands and fingers. Extra tissue has also formed around these joints making them fixed, meaning it is nearly impossible for Charlie to carry out normal day-to-day tasks.

"Charlie's condition has made his transition into school a lot harder, without the use of his upper limbs he struggles with writing, eating and going to the toilet, all things he should be able to do without this condition," Charlie Thomson's mother Evie Knight said. "He has been fitted with a computer at school which has a special joystick attached which has given him the ability to do all the tasks he would do on paper if he had the use of his hands. His friends from school have raised enough money now for us to get the same equipment for Charlie at home."

The money the children have raised will be used to buy the same equipment for Charlie to use at home as he has at school which will help him reach his full potential.

Steve Walker, Managing Director for Stagecoach said: "It has been an absolute pleasure having the children at the depot. Charlie's condition will always have an impact on his daily life and it is great to see his friends so keen to support him in this way."